Absorbent articles such as disposable diapers, incontinence pads, training pants, and catamenial napkins generally include an absorbent core for receiving and holding body exudates. The absorbent core typically includes a fibrous web, which can be a nonwoven, airlaid web of natural or synthetic fibers, or combinations thereof. Fibrous webs used in such absorbent articles also often include certain absorbent gelling materials usually referred to as “hydrogels,” “superabsorbent” or “hydrocolloid” materials to store large quantities of the discharged body fluids. These materials absorb through capillary or osmotic forces, or a combination of both.
An alternative absorbent material capable of providing capillary fluid transport is open-celled polymeric foams. If made appropriately, open-celled polymeric foams provide features of capillary fluid acquisition, transport, and storage required for use in high performance absorbent cores for absorbent articles such as diapers. Absorbent articles containing such foams may also possess desirable wet integrity, provide suitable fit throughout the entire period the article is worm, and may avoid changes in shape during use. In addition, absorbent articles containing such absorbent foam structures could be easier to manufacture on a commercial scale. For example, absorbent foam diaper cores could simply be stamped out of continuous foam sheets and could be designed to have considerably greater integrity and uniformity than air-laid fibrous absorbent cores containing particulate absorbent gelling materials.
Besides absorbency and manufacturing ease, another desirable property of open-celled polymeric foams is the ability to make shaped or contoured absorbent cores having various shape configurations, fluid absorbency properties, and wear characteristics. Shaped or contoured absorbent cores made from foam materials have been disclosed in the diaper art. Shaped or contoured absorbent cores made from open-celled foam materials having particularly desirable fluid transport characteristics are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,345 ('345 patent) issued to Young et al. on Sep. 15, 1992 and hereby incorporated herein by reference. The Young et al. '345 core essentially comprises both a fluid acquisition/distribution component and a fluid storage/redistribution component. The fluid acquisition/distribution component is positioned within the absorbent article in such a way as to receive or contact aqueous body fluid which has been discharged into the absorbent article by the wearer of the article. The fluid storage/redistribution component in turn is positioned within the article to be in fluid communication with the fluid acquisition/distribution component.
Multipiece cores providing for the absorbent characteristics of the Young et al. '345 patent in a preferred configuration are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,602 to Weber et al. Weber et al. discloses shaped absorbent cores comprising a front panel and a back panel. The front and back panels are in fluid communication with a center section. Preferably the center section comprises material generally suitable for fluid acquisition/distribution, while the front and back panels comprise material generally suitable for fluid storage/redistribution.
Despite the advances in absorbent articles and in fluid handling absorbent core materials, absorbent articles having multiple absorbent core components, as well as unitary cores, are generally designed for single use wear. Once the storage/redistribution component is saturated with bodily discharges, such as urine, the entire absorbent article is generally discarded and replaced. Often parts of the absorbent article are still usable, and except for being unitary with the absorbent cores, these parts could be used further. In addition to the added cost and waste associated with discarding reusable materials, it is often inconvenient to remove and replace the entire absorbent article when absorbent core components are saturated.
Absorbent articles with removable absorbent inserts are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,761 to Buell, issued Jul. 1, 1986, discloses a disposable absorbent insert for use inside an over-garment such as a conventional reusable diaper, or a disposable diaper. Once the absorbent insert becomes saturated it may be removed and discarded. The absorbent article may then be reused with a fresh absorbent insert. Buell is representative of a general absorbent article design having a continuous fluid impervious backing sheet (backsheet) and a fluid pervious bodyside liner (topsheet) with a removable absorbent core insert disposed between. The absorbent core insert is removed from the body side of the article, necessarily requiring that the absorbent article be removed from the wearer. This removal is often inconvenient and time consuming.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have an absorbent article that has removable or replaceable absorbent core components wherein the absorbent core components can be removed or replaced without having to remove the absorbent article from the wearer.
Additionally, it would be desirable to have an absorbent article that has an absorbent core having removable or replaceable components and a discontinuous backsheet, allowing saturated portions of the absorbent core to be removed through the backsheet discontinuity, thereby exposing unsaturated portions and allowing for prolonged use of portions of an absorbent article.
Further, it would be desirable to have an absorbent article with a continuous backsheet affixed to a topsheet about a periphery that has removable or replaceable absorbent core components disposed between the topsheet and backsheet, such that access to absorbent core components is provided by separating the topsheet and backsheet in a predetermined area to form an opening.